FEC Digest

Weekly Digest

The Commission did not hold Open or Executive Sessions this week. Sunshine Act Notices for Executive Sessions are here. Agendas and related documents for Open Meetings are here.

Audio recordings for selected meetings, hearings and presentations are here.

ADVISORY OPINIONS

Requests

On June 1, the Commission made public Draft Advisory Opinion 2009-07 (Neugebauer) regarding the use and rental of a recreational boat owned by an LLC, of which Representative Neugebauer is a member. June 3 was the deadline for the public to submit written comments on the request. Advisory Opinions, Requests and Comments are available here.

ENFORCEMENT

The Commission made public nine closed cases and three statements of reason this week. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Query System.

MUR 6105 – Republican National Committee and Tim Morgan as Treasurer; Governor Sarah Palin. The Commission found no reason to believe the respondents violated the Act.

MUR 5939 – The New York Times Company; MoveOn.org Political Action and Wes Boyd as Treasurer. The Commission found no reason to believe the respondents violated the Act.

MUR 5942 – The New York Times Company; Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee, Inc. and John H. Gross as Treasurer. The Commission found no reason to believe the respondents violated the Act.

MUR 6130 – Roy Carter for Congress and John C. Rhineberger as Treasurer. The Commission used its prosecutorial discretion to dismiss the case and sent a letter of caution to the Committee and its treasurer.

MUR 6118 – Bob Roggio for Congress and Alexander F. Smith as Treasurer. The Commission dismissed the case and sent a letter of caution to the Committee and its treasurer.

MUR 6119 – Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen - Local Division 662. The Commission found no reason to believe the respondent violated the Act.

MUR 5905 – National Association of Social Workers, Inc. (NASW); National Association of Social Workers, Inc. Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) and Roderick F. O’Connor as Treasurer; Elizabeth J. Clark, NASW Executive Director; Kathleen Waugh, NASW Chief Operating Officer; Carolyn I. Polowy, NASW General Counsel; and Denise McKenzie, NASW Acting Controller. The Commission agreed to accept a conciliation agreement with NASW, NASW Political Action for Candidate Election and O’Connor, in his official capacity of treasurer. The Commission found no reason to believe the other respondents violated the Act.

The Commission approved and made public one Audit Report. A summary of the findings is below. Final Audit Reports are availablehere.

League of Conservation Voters Action Fund. The audit found that the League materially misstated receipts, disbursements and cash-on-hand balances for calendar years 2005 and 2006. The audit also found that the group failed to adequately disclose the occupation and/or the name of the employer for 26 percent of itemized contributions from individuals. The League filed amended reports to correct the issues raised in the audit process.

Trade associations with corporate members must complete a two-step process in order to solicit employees of those corporate members for PAC contributions. Information on the process is available here.

OUTREACH

On June 1, Assistant Staff Director Patricia Young, head of the FEC’s Public Disclosure Division, briefed 20 students from United College, Chinese University of Hong Kong on the agency, the provisions of the Federal Campaign Finance Act of 1971, as revised (the Act), and how to access and understand the campaign finance disclosure data available.

On June 2, FEC Chairman Steven Walther and Information Specialist Paola Pascual-Ferrá met with the head of the North Sumatra Election Commission and the Chairman of the South Sulawesi Election Commission. Walther and Pascual-Ferrá briefed the visitors from Indonesia about the Act and the role of the FEC.

IT INITIATIVES

This week the Commission introduced the first of a series of new products on its website at www.fec.gov. The list of lobbyist/registrant PACs, created to help campaigns and others comply with the disclosure requirements when lobbyists and their PACs bundle contributions, has been designed to allow for so-called web services. These services will make information available in open and exportable formats and through RSS feeds, which allows for automated updates and more flexible use of the information.

NEXT WEEK (JUNE 8 – 12, 2009)

No Commission Open Sessions or Executive Sessions are scheduled.

UPCOMING REPORTING DUE DATES

June 20 – June Monthly Report

July 15 – July Quarterly Report

July 20 – July Monthly Report

July 31 – July Mid-Year Report

UPCOMING EVENTS

June 24-25, Tallahassee, FL – As part of its State Outreach Program, the FEC will conduct informal briefings for PACs, party committees and candidate committees on areas of the law specific to their needs. The schedule is here.

July 8 – The FEC will host workshops on reporting requirements and its FECFile software to help candidates, parties and PACs prepare to file their July quarterly, monthly or mid-year reports.